Numinous
by sasusakubae
Summary: Katara is captured in a fire nation raid to the south pole when she is 6. The events after that spiral out of control after she grows older under the fire nations careful eye, and she eventually gets sent away with Zuko to search for the Avatar. (zutara fic).
1. Chapter 1

Author's note : Hey there! So this is actually my first go at a fanfic, so I really hope you enjoy it! The story doesn't follow the timeline of ATLA. This first chapter is VERY short as I'm just kind of getting a feel for the story and the characters. I should have the next chapter up soon, then we will see Zuko for the first time! Please please please review!

I don't own ATLA.

—

There was an odd feeling in the air when Katara walked out into the open, her father's voice still echoing behind her where the rest of the tribe was gathered. The snow was already heavily falling, and within a few moments it started to turn black. At her age she hadn't the slightest idea what that meant, only that a 6 year old probably wasn't supposed to play in it. Shouts began to flow from where she'd previously been, the tribe members sure to know what this odd snow meant.

There was a sudden rumble, and the next few minutes could be described as nothing but chaos. Warriors rushed past her, shoving her back and over a snowbank. Unable to catch herself when she landed, her head connected with a chunk of ice, knocking her unconscious.

What Katara assumed was several hours later, she woke to the sound of murmuring near by. Attempting to move, she realized that something was bounding her in place. Unable to move her arms or legs, her crystalline eyes snapped open in panic.

The walls around her were red, draped in what seemed to be some kind of silky cloth. The air around her was warm - much warmer than she was used to. Someone must have heard her struggling, because footsteps could be heard approaching where she sat against the wall.

There was a sharp kick to her leg, causing her to cry out. The man sneered, pulling on her chin to make her look at him. "Scared? You should be," the stranger whispered, his mouth in sharp grin.

"Zhao," an older voice snapped from a few feet away. "Leave the child alone," he continued, his footsteps also growing closer. The man that was standing over her - Zhao, she guessed, snapped his head around to glare at the man who was approaching.

With a frown, the fun clearly taken out of his little game, Zhao turned fully towards the older man. "Yes, General Iroh," were his departing words as he left the small room.

Her heart hammered in her chest as Katara glanced cautiously towards the man who had sent Zhao away. He wasn't as old as she'd thought, but his hair had begun to gray, clearly visible in the darker color that his hair once was. She nearly yelped when a cushion was plopped down in front of her, and the man took a seat with ease. Kind brown eyes met her gaze as she looked at him, conflicting emotions playing inside her at his kind expression. Why would he be kind to her? They'd taken her from her home - they'd kidnapped her.

"What is your name?" His husky voice spoke once more. "I'm General Iroh, as you probably guessed from Zhao's pleasant response," he added, his hand flicking behind him where Zhao had exited the room. After a few moments, when she didn't respond, he frowned. Rather than pushing her to speak, he got to his feet and left the room without another word. However, before he walked towards the door he let his hand rest reassuringly on her petite shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note : Hey guys! I definitely didn't actually expect anyone to read that first chapter, let alone review it. Thank you all so much! I hope that this next chapter is an improvement from that little intro chapter! Enjoy!

25Carin : thank you so much for reviewing this! I too feel bad that Katara is always kidnapped from her home, and while I never intended for my fic to even involve it, I had a dream about it a while back and ended up diving into this story!

I don't own atla

—

Four years had passed since Katara first found herself on the ship that took her from her home in the Southern Water Tribe to the Fire Nation. She just turned 10, not that it really mattered, anyways. Since she'd been in the Fire Nation nothing really did.

They still didn't know her name, not even Former General Iroh. He had been the general when she first met him, but since then he'd launched a siege on Ba Sing Se. He and his troops had failed to break through the walls and capture the city. In the process, the prince, Lu Ten, was killed. Iroh came back a mess, but he hid it well. However, with the loss of his heir, his younger brother was placed ahead of him in line for the throne.

Just a few nights ago she'd heard a lot of urgent whispering. Something about the fire lord and some woman named Ursa. Now, there was to be a new Fire Lord, and his wife had disappeared suddenly. She didn't much care, because all the rumors that she'd heard were whispers from outside her cell.

She had been kept in the same cell since the day they landed in the Fire Nation, and she'd yet to leave it. It was cold and damp, surprisingly enough, with the weather in the nation being quite the opposite.

All of her thoughts came to a halt, however, when she heard footsteps and voices approaching. She could tell there were a few people, some sounding a lot younger. From where she sat in the corner of her cell, it was easy to see the four figures that approached. One, the key holder of the cells, looked as gloomy as he always did. Katara didn't recognize the others, though. One was a tall man, his ebony hair flowing around his shoulders, other than the top knot that rested perfectly on the top of his head. Beside him two young children gazed at her curiously, one male, one female.

The male, clearly a little older than the other child, stepped forward and pointed to Katara. "That one," he said, tipping his head to look at the man that loomed behind him.

"Are you sure, Prince Zuko? That's just a water tribe peasant. Wouldn't you want a strong fire nation servant instead?" Came the familiar voice of the key holder. However, he silenced himself when the taller man stepped forward.

"As you wish," Were his simple words, and he swiftly left as an exasperated "yes, Fire Lord," followed him through the darkness.

The keys clattered against the door as her cell was unlocked and she was ushered towards the exit of the prison. She didn't say a word, keeping her eyes on her feet as she passed the Prince and who she assumed was the Princess. Katara could see the sun filtering through the door, and she braced herself to face it for the first time in four years.

It was blinding, and she nearly gasped as it instantly warmed her bronze skin. Blue eyes narrowed as she tried to adjust, but she didn't get much time before she was thrown into a cart like an animal and wheeled away.

—

When they reached the destination, she was herded into an elegant looking building. Eyes watching for every detail, she tried to memorize the way to wherever they were bringing her. There were a few turns, and she eventually lost track, much to her frustration. A wide door appeared before her, and Katara was shoved unceremoniously inside.

There, an elderly woman stood before her in simple garb, her hands folded neatly in front of her. With a strained smile, she motioned for Katara to come inside the room. She couldn't necessarily refuse, so she walked carefully into the space. It was a large room with the most luxurious bed she'd ever seen. It was framed with wood, and hanging all around it was fine materials in gold and red.

Her eyes snapped to the woman, who shook her head slightly. "That's the prince's bed," she spoke, and then turned towards the corner of the room that was separated with a large divider. Behind it was a small cot with blankets and pillows. "That is where you, the prince's personal servant, will sleep."

Glaring, Katara spoke for the first time in what seemed like ages "Why?" She demanded, her aura as icy as it could get for her young age.

With a shrug, the woman made to leave. "I don't know why he choose you, but you must obey all of his demands or you'll surely be killed by his father," she threw over her shoulder, closing the door as she finished speaking, leaving Katara alone in the room.

Curiosity won over almost instantly, and she began snooping around the room. She opened drawers, glanced under the bed, and looked out the window that was at the opposite side of the room from her cot. The water tribe child found nothing of interest, and sighed of boredom as she made her way towards her small corner of the room. Plopping down on her cot, she felt the fabric that had been given to her. It was nicer than anything she'd ever had in the prison, seeing as she slept with a dirty sheet and a straw pillow.

The silence that surrounded her caused her to fall back into her thoughts, one particular memory was on her mind as of late. It had been the full moon, she could only tell because the guards had been talking about it. When one of them passed her cell, he made jabs at her, speaking words that she never wanted to hear again. In her anger, she'd barely noticed that the small trickle of water in her cell had come to a halt, leaving her in complete silence. Once he left her alone, she began to realize the absence of the only noise she often heard.

As she investigated, she found that it had frozen over, somehow. One finger touched the ice, and she nearly gasped when it immediately came back to life, dripping into the small pool on the floor once more. She looked to her hands like they'd done something awful. Suddenly, it all made sense. She was there for a reason, and she'd figured it out all on her own. The words echoed in her mind, _waterbender, waterbender, waterbender_..

The chanting in her mind came to a halt and she was thrown back into reality when the sound of the door slamming open startled her. Blue eyes met golden, and the breath left her as she immediately curled into herself as she looked into the eyes of the prince. He didn't say anything, however, and before she even had the chance to move he'd changed into his night clothes, thrown himself onto the bed, and his breaths evened out with sleep.

Katara sighed with relief, as she watched him sleep for what seemed like all night. Her eyes began to droop, and she eventually settled into the small cot, and fell asleep warm for the first time in four years.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note : Thank you all so much for reviewing! As for the question about how fast I'll be updating, it kind of depends. I'm a full time college student in my senior year, plus working, plus life and my ever present lack of motivation, XD. I promise I'll try my best to update at least once a week or every two weeks if not sooner!

Disclaimer : I don't own atla.

—

Katara was woken painfully early the next morning, the sun barely sending light over the horizon. She would have slept for a few more hours, but the sound of a drawer slamming shut snapped her out of her slumber. With an annoyed grumble, she poked her head around the small divider that separated her from the prince.

He was standing in front of his dresser, fully clothed, with his hands clenched at his sides. As if sensing that someone was watching him, he turned towards her with a frown. His hair was pulled back in the typical fire nation style, and his clothes were a mix of different shades of red and black.

His golden eyes seemed to be assessing her, while he thought internally about what he should say. However, she beat him to it. "What?" Katara snapped, unable to help herself. She'd felt uncomfortable under his critical eye, causing her temper to flare as she ground out her question.

Eyes growing wide, he narrowed his eyes at her. "You're in no place to be demanding answers from me," he responded, his voice smoother than she expected. He took several steps closer to her, still observing as he did so.

With a small 'huf,' he said, "I'm Prince Zuko, as you probably already know."

Katara perked an eyebrow at his words, but nodded her head in acknowledgement. Obviously she knew who he was and what his name was. "And?" She responded, wondering why he even said it.

"It's common courtesy to tell me your name," Zuko replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders. His uncle had told him last night that not a person in the fire nation knew her name. Not a soul. "It will be easier to address you as my personal servant if I know your name," he added as an afterthought, already noticing the guarded expression she harbored at his words.

Katara glanced to her feet, thinking carefully. She hadn't shared her name with anyone, in fact, she'd barely spoken a word until now. He was right, she was sure. It would be easier, and it probably wouldn't be as miserable if he called her 'Katara' rather than 'servant.' She tried not to grind her teeth as she glanced back up to the prince. After what seemed like several hours she responded, "My name is Katara."

—

Zuko was honestly a little surprised that she'd answered his question, but he responded with a simple nod of his head. "Well, Katara, you're going to come with me to my training," Zuko said, already making his way towards the door of his bedroom.

He heard a slight protest behind him, but wasn't surprised when the sound of her soft footsteps began to follow him a few moments later. Glancing back to make sure she was keeping up, he smirked when he saw her straining to keep up with his long strides. Slowing down slightly, he turned down a hallway that lead to an open door, the wind of the outside world wafting through it.

Stepping outside, he wasn't surprised when she immediately made a run for it. Easily grabbing hold of her petite wrists, he glanced down to notice the contrast of their skin. His was pale, while hers was the darker tone of the water tribes. "I might not hurt you if you try to escape, but my father would surely kill you," he whispered, glancing up to where his father sat on the edge of the training space, his hands folded neatly in his lap as he observed the two that had just arrived.

Her blue eyes snapped to where the fire lord sat, and she gulped, nodding to Zuko, who released her hands. "Just watch from the side and bring me water when I ask for it," he instructed, shedding his shirt as he stepped into the sand that defined where he was to practice his firebending.

He waited until she backed away and sat on the edge of the clearing. Glancing to his father, he missed the moment when his uncle stepped in front of him. "Prince Zuko," he said, snapping Zuko out of his daze, "let's practice the basics once again today."

"Again?!" Zuko protested, throwing his hands up in the air. Uncle Iroh always wanted him to practice the basics, but he was sick of the basics. He wanted to learn how to bend like his father, like a true fire lord. "I know the basics!"

—

Katara watched silently as the two argued, but eventually fell into what looked like a familiar form of practice. They moved fluidly, but it was evident that Zuko was agitated and didn't go through the forms as smoothly as he should have. When they stopped, she flicked her crystalline gaze to the fire lord. He was glaring at his son, a look of disgust written all over his face. It wasn't what she'd expected, as she thought the prince and his uncle were doing great. Just as she was about to return her gaze to the practicing pair, the fire lord got up swiftly and left with a small scoff.

"Water!" Zuko called, clearly even more agitated than he had been. His eyes were settled on his father as he accepted the glass she offered him, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy for him. It was evident that he wanted to impress his father, and he must have failed yet again, judging by the reactions around her.

After he handed the glass back, she was about to return to her seat when Iroh sent a beaming smile her way. "Lady Katara," he greeted, and she frowned as he used her name. "My nephew is going to practice with real fire now, so please be careful when you're observing us," he added, a genuine smile on his face.

With a shrug, she sat a little further back, watching the two once more. She focused on Zuko as he took in a few deep breaths, and she was amazed as it appeared that there was smoke coming from his lips. Within moments, he was wielding fire in all directions, with little control of it. He was trying, which was clear in his strained muscles, but the flames seemed to have a mind of their own.

One came dangerously close, and it started a small patch of grass on fire only a few inches from where she sat. Panicking, she moved her arms defensively before her. What she didn't see because her eyes were closed, was the water that jumped out of the bucket near her to extinguish the fire at her hand motions.

Glancing up when she noticed it was completely silent, she was surprised to see both of the firebenders stopped dead in their tracks, staring at her. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she turned to where the grass had erupted in flames. They were gone, now drenched with water. No one had gone near the bucket, and no one had gone near the fire. Realization hit her like a pound of rocks as she lifted her hands and looked at them. It was her.. She'd done it. That's why they were staring.

She was snapped out of her focus on her hands when someone bodily shoved her back towards the building. "You must go inside, Katara," Iroh's voice sounded from behind her, "and don't speak of his to anyone."

She glanced back to him, questions on her tongue, but she stilled when he shook his head to quiet her. "Follow Zuko back to his room, he will explain there."


End file.
